Static and 50 Hz electromagnetic fields effects on human neuronal-like cells vibration bands in the mid-infrared region.
Calabrò E, Condello S, Magazù S, Ientile, R. · 2011
View Original AbstractPower-frequency magnetic fields caused cell death in human brain cells at levels found near electrical infrastructure.
Plain English Summary
Italian researchers exposed human brain cells to 50 Hz magnetic fields (like power lines) for three hours and found cellular damage including membrane changes, potential DNA harm, and protein breakdown indicating cell death, providing evidence that power-frequency fields can damage neural cells.
Why This Matters
This study adds important evidence to our understanding of how power-frequency magnetic fields affect human cells at the molecular level. The researchers used sophisticated spectroscopic analysis to detect cellular changes that would be invisible through conventional microscopy, revealing membrane disruption, potential DNA damage, and protein structural changes that indicate cell stress and death. The 1-2 mT exposure levels used here are higher than typical household exposures (which usually range from 0.01-0.4 mT) but are found near power lines, electrical panels, and some appliances. What makes this research particularly significant is that it demonstrates biological effects in human neural cells specifically, using advanced detection methods that reveal molecular-level damage. The science demonstrates that electromagnetic fields can cause measurable harm to brain cells, supporting concerns about chronic exposure to elevated magnetic field levels in our daily environment.
Exposure Details
- Magnetic Field
- 2 and 1 mG
- Source/Device
- 50 Hz
- Exposure Duration
- 3h
Exposure Context
This study used 2 and 1 mG for magnetic fields:
- 50Kx above the Building Biology guideline of 0.2 mG
- 10Kx above the BioInitiative Report recommendation of 1 mG
Building Biology guidelines are practitioner-based limits from real-world assessments. BioInitiative Report recommendations are based on peer-reviewed science. Check Your Exposure to compare your own measurements.
Where This Falls on the Concern Scale
Study Details
To study the Static and 50 Hz Electromagnetic Fields Effects on Human Neuronal-Like Cells Vibration Bands in the Mid-Infrared Region.
Human neuronal-like cells were exposed to static and 50 Hz electromagnetic fields at the intensities...
After exposure of 3 hours to static and 50 Hz electromagnetic fields, the vibration bands of CH2 met...
The effects of static magnetic field and 50 Hz electromagnetic field on neuronal-like cells were investigated in the mid-infrared spectral region by means of FTIR spectroscopy in Fourier self-deconvolution.Exposure of 3 hours to a uniform magnetic field at the intensity of 2 mT produced a significant increase in intensity of CH2 methylene group vibration bands, which may be associated with an increase of lipid content related to an increase of the surface of the cellular membrane. In addition, a decrease of the PO2- phosphate bands was observed, suggesting that alteration in DNA/ RNA can be occurred after exposure. Further exposure up to 18 hours produced an increase of the β-sheet/α-helix ratio in amide I region due to unfolding processes of proteins.Exposure of 3 hours to a 50 Hz electromagnetic field at the magnetic flux density of 1 mT provided that signifycant increases of the amount of β-sheet content and of the band around 1740 cm−1 (assigned to non-hydrogenbonded ester carbonyl stretching mode) occurred after exposure, which may be considered as the main characteristic spectral signatures assumed as indicative of cells death.
Show BibTeX
@article{e_2011_static_and_50_hz_223,
author = {Calabrò E and Condello S and Magazù S and Ientile and R.},
title = {Static and 50 Hz electromagnetic fields effects on human neuronal-like cells vibration bands in the mid-infrared region.},
year = {2011},
url = {https://www.scirp.org/html/7-9801143_4128.htm},
}